Local TV Station Alleges CNN ‘Declined’ Them For Finding Border Wall Effective

As the debate for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border continues, one television news station in San Diego alleges they were “declined” by CNN after previous reports showed the border wall was effective, the Hill reported.

According to a report from KUSI on Thursday, January 10, a CNN spokesperson reached out to the news source to get a “local view” on the issue that has dominated the news since the partial government shutdown began three weeks ago.

In response, the California news team offered reporter Dan Plante, who in the past had done a number of pieces on the border, including one that was retweeted by former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. In the end, however, KUSI was “declined” by the network, which they allege is because they have found the border wall to be effective.

“We believe CNN declined a report from KUSI because we informed them that most Border Patrol Agents we have spoken to told us the barrier does in fact work,” the report concluded, noting that agents have said the barrier helps control the entry of illegal drugs and weapons into the country.

CNN responded to the claim on Friday, January 11, calling the network’s claim a “non story” since they ultimately chose not to book any reporters from the area.

“We called several local stations to book someone for a show. We didn’t end up booking any of them,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement to the Hill. “That happens many times every single day.”

“We did, however, book a reporter from KUSI for a story on immigration and the border wall on CNN in November. This is a non story,” the statement concluded.

The need for a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border was a message central to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016. Now that the president has attempted to act on it, it has become a major debate that has led to the partial government shutdown, which is now on day 21 and sees hundreds of thousands of federal workers going without pay.

President Donald Trump has demanded $5.7 billion to construct the wall, though Democrats such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued shortly before the shutdown that it is “immoral, ineffective and expensive,” Business Insider reported, and have only offered $1.3 billion for border security measures.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the president is still considering declaring a national emergency over the issue, meaning he would be able to bypass Congress to get the wall built.